Artists have long equated beauty with truth, but the truth is that beauty only exists in relation to something less beautiful. Beauty shines in the juxtaposition. For every Bulgari there is something truly Vulgari

The late Marxist historian DD Kosambi continues to wield tremendous influence on the study of Hinduism. But his disciples have disallowed any rational critique of the man and have zealously ignored the religion’s diversity

Open lists a few parliamentarians who could take a tip or two from Nehru to revive Indian Parliament as an effective instrument of democracy—and to save the country from the brink of economic and political disaster

Once a Double Niner, always a Double Niner. So say soldiers of the 99th Field Regiment of the Indian Army, which was awarded the title ‘Sylhet’ for its gallantry in the 1971 War for the liberation of Bangladesh. First raised in Aurangabad as the 99th Mountain Composite Regiment (Towed) on 15 April 1964, it is remembered for its role in obtaining the surrender of Pakistani forces after a 25-day gun battle during the war. As this 20-minute documentary shows, the Double Niners were masters of tactical manoeuvres, a tradition they still try their utmost to uphold.

Alam is the co-founder of the Muslim League, the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference. Beyond the politics, and the facts of his arrest and his life, and his own agenda, there are stories of ordinary people

Bose released its first TV two years ago, and now seemed like the right time for launching Wave 2. It has a 140 cm high-definition screen that is LED backlit. With 18 built-in speakers, this TV is an accomplished audio system in itself. Without the aid of any additional speakers, it accurately reproduces the highs and lows, which is what we expect of Bose.

And it looks good too. The TV is thin and has a sleek frame. All you have to do is plug it into the power supply. With a single cable from its console, you can connect up to six devices: Apple TV, Blu-ray player, cable or satellite set-top box, gaming console and an iPhone/iPod too. Sadly, the console has not been upgraded. This means that it comes with the legacy 30-pin Apple connector. In case you have the new iPod Touch or iPhone 5, you will need to use a convertor. It also means that you can’t connect the console to the internet, and will have to depend on your Apple TV to do the streaming.

But you don’t buy a Bose for its video streaming prowess. You buy it for cutting-edge audio technology. The TV is fitted with a sound bar that comprises six mid-range and high-range speakers, and a centre speaker too—all inside the TV. It also has six woofers to produce deep lows. Even the surround sound effect is created by the speakers within the TV.

It ships with a beautiful click pad remote, which came with the first Video Wave too. I am surprised that till now no other TV company offers anything even close to it. This pad lets you control your TV, and all its connected peripherals, without taking your eyes away from the screen. The remote uses RF technology so you don’t bother about pointing it towards any device in particular. You can also turn off the screen and use the Wave as a sound system.

The late Marxist historian DD Kosambi continues to wield tremendous influence on the study of Hinduism. But his disciples have disallowed any rational critique of the man and have zealously ignored the religion’s diversity

The late Marxist historian DD Kosambi continues to wield tremendous influence on the study of Hinduism. But his disciples have disallowed any rational critique of the man and have zealously ignored the religion’s diversity

Sitaram Yechury incurs the displeasure of party leaders who want action, not talk, as the new chief goes ahead with plans to hold a plenum in November, just months ahead of crucial polls in Kerala where it is battling against heavy odds to wrest power from the Congress and in West Bengal where it is struggling to retain its second position

Open lists a few parliamentarians who could take a tip or two from Nehru to revive Indian Parliament as an effective instrument of democracy—and to save the country from the brink of economic and political disaster